Cemetery Committee

Chairperson: Michael Romano

Committee Members:
Kelley Romano
Sarah Alamond
Joan Cregg
Dorianne Gutierrez
Ken Palmer
Robert Niederhoff

Village Liaisons:
Rachel Ciotti
Mike Neverette

liverpool village cemetery sign

Meeting as a group on March 18, 2014 for the first time, the Liverpool Cemetery Committee discussed the broken, deteriorated gravestones; overgrown trees and shrubs; dangerous holes; insufficient walking paths; and tremendous weekly maintenance needs of the cemetery. We wondered if the village could obtain grant money to help pay for a restoration, and if projects/restoration could be organized around a weekly, monthly, yearly schedule with a Comprehensive Plan. We talked about the importance of getting the community engaged, educated, and invested in restoring the cemetery. At this first meeting, we composed a Mission Statement and listed four focus areas.

Mission

Establish and gain acceptance of a plan to restore the Village of Liverpool cemetery to a historical, reverent, functioning, safe landmark so that the village can maintain and preserve it without extraordinary taxpayer expense for the next century.

Four Focus Areas:

  • Grounds
  • Funding options
  • Schedule
  • Raise consciousness and awareness

Volunteers Wanted

Beginning in the spring of 2024, the Cemetery Committee will be seeking volunteers to plant 150 ground cover pots into the cemetery hills on Tulip Street and Sixth Street. If you are interested in taking part in this project, please click the “Get involved” link below and complete the form.

Links

Examples of Supporting Projects
  • Tulip Street Retaining Wall – Repair and Maintenance of wall on Tulip Street
  • Conditions Assessment – Assess condition of existing grave markers and cemetery design elements
  • Restoration  – Restore distressed and damaged grave markers and elements of cemetery to preserve historic character and enhance the historic integrity of the cemetery
  • Maintenance – Create a maintenance plan for grave markers as well as cemetery landscape to improve upon current conditions and ensure future care and aesthetic improvements that respect historic character
  • Interpretation – Public interpretation plan to increase and maintain public engagement, including interpretive signage as well as signage identifying plots and sections
  • Health and Safety – Creation of a non-hazardous traffic pattern for both vehicles as well as well-defined trails and walkways
  • Funding – Identify and pursue funding applications and opportunities to achieve the priorities listed above and continue long-term maintenance
Comments from our Village Historian

Liverpool Cemetery is as much a symbol of village life as the park at the center of the village. Although in need of renovation, it is both a peaceful, reverent place and an invaluable historic resource. It has been and continues to be the site of walking tours for both children and adults, with themes that include tombstone styles, public health, immigrants, economics, veterans of wars ranging from the American Revolution through Viet Nam, and more.

Like cemeteries everywhere, Liverpool Cemetery has many stories to tell. But unlike cemeteries everywhere, many have to do with the village’s unique history, and the stones there speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves.  Our cemetery, with appropriate treatment, will continue to tell the stories of the village, since we and our children are part of history, too.

Excerpts from the STATE & NATIONAL REGISTERS OF HISTORIC PLACES SHPO APPLICATION FORM - March 25, 2015

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF SELECTED GOALS: The Liverpool Village Cemetery is an active municipal cemetery within the village limits of Liverpool, New York. Moved to the current site in 1846, the oldest known burial/re-burial is that of Adam West, a Revolutionary War veteran who died in 1810. The cemetery is situated on a sweeping hill that has long been regarded as a place of peace and refuge by Liverpool citizens.  In addition, because it represents in microcosm a record of Liverpool’s history, ethnicity, sociology, and economics, it serves as an invaluable local history resource for individuals and formal local school and adult tours. A citizen’s committee under the sponsorship of the Village of Liverpool has formed for the purposes of this application and it is anticipated that other local organizations and Liverpool citizens will participate in the ongoing protection and maintenance of the cemetery. The cemetery will be a highly visible focal point for historic preservation in the village of Liverpool.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Liverpool’s Department of Public Works is responsible for routine cemetery maintenance such as mowing and trimming, but the cemetery currently requires more specialized expertise in landscape maintenance and repairs in the interests of public safety and aesthetics, for the restoration of tombstones, stone walls, and other structures. We regard this application as the first step in a program to restore and treasure Liverpool Cemetery.

Submitted by the Liverpool Cemetery Group

June 29, 2015 Special Village of Liverpool Board of Trustees meeting